Month: June 2013 Page 1 of 2

On June 24, 2013

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Will recent public protests in Brazil successfully reform the country’s corrupt political system?
2. How should Southeast Asian nations address solve their air pollution woes?
3. Was the outcome of the Iranian presidential election swayed by international sanctions?
4. Can the new Agang party make South African politics more competitive?
5. What steps should France take to solve its looming pension crisis?
6. Will any country grant Edward Snowden asylum?
7. Is Internet freedom the biggest global human rights issue of the 21st century?
8. Will the violent crackdown on protesters significantly complicate Turkey’s membership talks with the European Union?
9. How will the exit of international forces next year impact the rights of Afghan women?
10. Is it in the military’s best interest to allow Aung San Suu Kyi to stand as a candidate in Myanmar’s next presidential election?

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HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of June 24th-30th, 2013

On June 24, 2013

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Should prostitution be decriminalized?
2. Is it too late for the United States to turn the tide in Syria?
3. Edward Snowden: traitor or patriot?
4. Will Marco Rubio’s stance on immigration cost him the GOP presidential nomination in 2016?
5. Is it time to end collegiate affirmative action policies?
6. Will the U.S. Congress pass a new farm bill in 2013?
7. How can America stem the high rate of teacher turnover?
8. When should the Federal Reserve stop quanitative easing?
9. How will Detroit’s fiscal problems impact the municipal bond market?
10. Will Hillary Clinton run for president in 2016?

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Site News: Summer Updates at Extemp Central

On June 23, 2013

In Site News

In the past, Extemp Central has gone dormant during the six weeks between the end of NFL Nationals and the first full week of August, but since there are many extempers that keep working after their season ends we have decided to continue updating content during the summer months.

There are two features of the site that will be continually updated during the six weeks of the off-season, before the kick-off of more continual content updates the first week of August:

2013 NFL Nationals: Leys & Rende Win National Championships; Rambachan Makes Final Round History

In Nationals Results

The 2013 extemporaneous speaking season has ended with the crowning of two new national champions at NFL Nationals. In International Extemp, Nathan Leys of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (Iowa) stopped Ashesh Rambachan of Eastview High School (Minnesota) from repeating as national champion and became the first Iowan extemper in the modern era (defined as the beginning of the USX/IX split) to win extemporaneous speaking at NFL Nationals. However, Rambachan did win the national final round, thereby becoming the first extemper in NFL history to repeat as final round national champion in the same extemporaneous speaking category. This is also the third consecutive year that an extemper from Minnesota has won the national final round championship in International Extemp. The two underclassmen in the final, Lyubov Kapko of Tempe Preparatory School (Arizona) and Lily Nellans of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (Iowa), placed third and fifth, respectively.

In an underclassmen dominated United States Extemp final, Arel Rende of Tulsa Washington High School (Oklahoma), a two-time state champion, won an undisputed championship by winning the overall title and the national final round title. Like Leys in International Extemp, Rende becomes the first Oklahoma extemper in the modern era to capture a national championship at NFL. Since all of the finalists in the U.S. Extemp final were underclassmen, it is possible that next year’s final in Kansas could be a complete rematch of this round.

Extemp Central congratulates all of the finalists and this year’s national champions and their coaches.

2013 NFL Nationals: USX & IX Semi-Final Placings

In Nationals Results

As is customary as NFL Nationals, the semi-finalists in each individual and debate event are recognized after their respective final rounds. Here were the rankings of the semi-finalists in United States and International Extemporaneous speaking at this year’s national tournament. Any underclassmen that are on the last below, as well as those in today’s finals, have automatically qualified to next year’s national tournament. Extemp Central congratulates all of these extempers on their semi-final placings, which puts them in the top 6% of their category at this year’s national tournament.

Awards are scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. EST.

2013 NFL Nationals: International Extemp Final Round Analysis

In Final Round Analysis

The International Extemp final round has concluded. Here is Extemp Central’s analysis of the final round. Extemp Central provides a quick breakdown of the speeches and ranks the round. Awards will take place tonight at 7:00 EST and when the results are made official, we will bring them to you here at Extemp Central.

Notable Fact: “The World Next Week” is the topic area for this round.

Notable Fact #2: Robert McMahon, editor of cfr.org, is on the judging panel.

2013 NFL Nationals: United States Extemp Final Round Analysis

In Final Round Analysis

The United States Extemp final round has concluded. Here is Extemp Central’s analysis of the final round. Extemp Central provides a quick breakdown of the speeches and ranks the round. Awards will take place tonight at 7:00 EST and when the results are made official, we will bring them to you here at Extemp Central.

Notable Fact: “The U.S. Next Week” is the topic area for this round.

Notable Fact #2: 244 contestants were in USX at this year’s national tournament.

Notable Fact #3: Lisa Honeyman of Newton South High School, coach of the 2008 USX national champion, is on the judging panel.

Notable Fact #4: All of the finalists are underclassmen, which is very impressive! Congratulations to all six of these underclassmen for making the final round.

2013 NFL Nationals: Finals Are Set; Four Finalists Return to the Big Stage

On June 19, 2013

Monday started with over 400 extempers wishing to walk out of Birmingham, Alabama with a national championship, but that field has been narrowed to 12 and only two of those will leave Birmingham as the 2013 NFL International Extemp and 2013 NFL United States Extemp national champions.

Half of the International Extemp final is composed of finalists from last year’s event in Indianapolis. Ashesh Rambachan of Eastview High School (Minnesota) will be seeking a successful defense of his International Extemp championship, which has never happened in NFL history. If Rambachan were to win the final round it would also be the first time that an extemper has won back-to-back final round championships in the same extemporaneous speaking category. Rambachan is joined by last year’s third place finisher Lily Nellans of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (Iowa) and last year’s fifth place finisher Kohinoor Gill of Desert Vista High School (Arizona). Nellans teammate Nathan Leys gives the Des Moines Roosevelt powerhouse two extempers in this year’s International Extemp final and Arizona has another extemper in the final, Lyubov Kapko. Allison McKibban of El Dorado High School (Kansas) is appearing in her first NFL final after having back-to-back third place finishes at CFL Nationals the last two seasons.

In United States Extemp, Chase Harrison of Millburn High School (New Jersey), who took sixth at last year’s national tournament, returns to the final round and will square off against a field of distinguished national circuit and state-level extempers. Two-time Oklahoma United States Extemp 3A state champion Arel Rende and this year’s Virginia Group 3A state champion, Josh Wartel, are in the final round. No state was able to get two extempers to the USX final round.

Extemp Central congratulates all of the finalists. With NFL providing a live stream of this year’s finals, we plan on providing a recap of the action on Friday.

2013 NFL Nationals: Only Fourteen Remain in United States & International Extemp

On June 19, 2013

Semi-finals are underway at the 2013 NFL National Tournament. In a few short hours, the final cut will be made to the United States and International Extemp fields and six competitors will remain to compete for their respective national championships on Friday morning.

Nearly all of the notables mentioned yesterday cleared to the semi-final round. Barkley Forum champion and MBA finalist Miles Saffran was eliminated in International Extemp.

Check back later today for a complete listing of the finalists.

2013 NFL Nationals: Quarter-Finalists Posted; Competition Resumes Tomorrow

On June 18, 2013

The top thirty in International and United States Extemp have been unveiled at the 2013 NFL National Tournament. After tomorrow, we will know who the final six contestants will be for Friday’s final rounds.

Several notable names are still alive in the tournament. Ashesh Rambachan, last year’s International Extemp national champion, is one of the thirty in IX and he is joined by Lily Nellans, this year’s MBA, Extemp TOC, and Harvard champion, Nathan Leys, this year’s Yale and Glenbrooks champion, John Cherian, a two-time champion of the California Invitational, and Miles Saffran, the winner of this year’s Barkley Forum. Multiple-time national finalist Allison McKibban and Dylan Adelman, a finalist at CFL Nationals this year, round out the names in the IX side of the bracket.

In United States extemp, CFL champion Gabriel Ferrante‘s hopes of becoming the fourth extemper to win CFL and NFL in the same year (and the first non-Minnesotan to do it) continue. He is joined by Chase Harrison, this year’s Villiger champion and former Yale champion, Carolyn Evans, an MBA finalist this year, and Josh Wartel, a sixth place finisher at MBA this season. The rest of the USX bracket is littered with other extempers who have multiple breaks at national circuit events this year and or have won state championships.

Extemp Central congratulates all those extempers who broke at this year’s NFL Nationals and wishes those competitors who will compete in quarter-finals and semi-finals the best of luck tomorrow. Check back tomorrow to see a listing of semi-finalists.

2013 NFL Nationals: Octo-Finals Are Underway

On June 18, 2013

Octofinal breaks have been posted at the 2013 NFL National Tournament and we have paired the extempers who have broken with their school. Extempers will compete in rounds seven and eight this afternoon and quarter-final breaks will be announced this evening.

All of the extempers who made the octofinal round have automatically qualified to the 2014 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions at Northwestern University.

Extemp Central congratulates these 120 extempers for reaching the first stage of elimination round competition at this year’s NFL National Tournament.

R&D: Resources About the NSA’s Intelligence Program, Nelson Mandela’s Legacy, and More

On June 11, 2013

In R&D

Issue Guide: The Domestic Surveillance Debate from the Council on Foreign Relations
The link to this piece provides extempers with access to articles that give background, pro and con arguments, legislative history, and primary sources concerning the NSA’s domestic intelligence program.

Most Americans back NSA tracking phone records, prioritize probes over privacy from The Washington Post
In an interesting finding from a Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll, a majority of Americans (56%) support prioritizing hunts for terrorists over personal privacy.

Edward Snowden: NSA leaker reveals himself, expects retribution from The Christian Science Monitor
Edward Snowden, who leaked the NSA’s telephone and Internet intelligence gathering operations, revealed to the Guardian that he expects to receive backlash from American authorities over his actions. There is currently an ongoing policy debate about whether America should prosecute Snowden, although doing so might be difficult since he is currently in Hong Kong.

Nelson Mandela: Is it time for South Africa to let him go? from BBC News
Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president and apartheid opponent, is heavily revered in South Africa. However, as his passing becomes more likely in the coming years, South Africans are going to have to cope with life without him and this article discusses that issue.

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of June 10th-16th, 2013

On June 10, 2013

In U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

Here are this week’s United States extemp questions. The questions with asterisks come from Steve Meadows of Danville High School in Danville, Kentucky.

*1. Has the shift in focus for US Foreign Policy (from the Middle East to Asia) succeeded?
*2. Is the United States the bully on the international playground?
3. Who should become the next chairman of the Federal Reserve?
4. Is the sequester having a negative impact on the U.S. economy?
5. Should race be used as a factor in college admissions?
6. Will Chris Christie’s decision to have a separate special election for New Jersey’s Senate seat harm his gubernatorial campaign?
7. How should the GOP handle President Obama’s judicial picks for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals?
8. Should Congress repeal the Patriot Act?
9. How can “Rockefeller Republicans” re-establish themselves in today’s Republican Party?
10. What is an acceptable definition of electronic privacy in this era of terrorism?

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HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of June 10th-16th, 2013